BOOK of LIFE and LAMB'S BOOK of LIFE

 

This topic of two books or, one book with two titles, can be a bit confusing to some believers and non-believers as they inquire. I am hopeful the following will bring understanding to all. First of all, the definition of “Book”:  Literal - “Book” or “Letter,” or “Scroll.

 

Let’s begin with The Book of Life, which is a list of all who are born once; i.e., every person who has been eternally redeemed, while The Lamb’s Book of Life is a list of all those who are born twice; i.e, these are all those who are “Born Again”, thus have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

These two books, The Book of Life and The Lamb’s Book of Life, may be two different books under one binding, i.e., to say, one book used for two different purposes; one for the unsaved, and the other for the saved.  The Bible is such a book, i.e., it is made up the OT and the NT - but is yet one book serving two cultures, Israel (the people) followed by Jesus’ Coming, and the believing Gentiles, were brought into the fold of believers.

 

God’s commandments free believers to be the people they were originally created to be: holy beings who clearly reflect the image of God. A study, Revelation 3:4-5. There in, Verse 5: “Overcomes” . . . “will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.”  The first question is, can we lose our Salvation. NO!   How can we say NO!?  Because, the Lamb’s Book does NOT record any works or deeds, only our name. It concerns (not sin) – it concerns, only that we have overcome, we are believers, we are born again. I want to share also the text does not state that any believer will have his / her name blotted out of the Book of Life (Luke 10:20). Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” KJV.  Jesus does NOT say anything about works.

 

Let me point out “NOT” in this passage of Luke 10:20; to “not” blot out is a figure of speech affirming a positive by negating its opposite.  It means “I will include their names.”  As a brief example – (Exodus 32:32-33) “blot out” is perhaps alluding to God saying He will blot out sinners, but not faithful ones like Moses, from His book.

 

Never!! Never does Scripture say that God erases a believer’s name from the Lamb’s Book of Life; there’s never a warning that He’s even contemplating doing so.  The wonderful promise of Revelation 3:5 is that Jesus will NOT erase one’s name. It includes the over-comers (those coming - being saved and coming through the Tribulation Period).  The Promise of Revelation 3:5 is directed to believers, who are secure in their Salvation.

The warning of Revelation 22:19 is to unbelievers, who, rather than change their hearts toward God, attempt to change God’s Word to suit themselves.

 

Now let’s look at, the definition of “Elect” or “Election”:  God’s plan to bring Salvation to His people (Israel) and His world; that can be an individual or a group. Romans 9:10-13 tells us of God’s choice of an individual or group for a specific purpose or destiny.

The doctrine of election is one the most central and one of the most misunderstood teachings in the Bible. At its most basic level, election refers to the purpose or plan of God whereby He has determined to implement His Will.  “Election” encompasses the entire range of divine activity from Creation, God’s decision to bring the world into being out of nothing, to the end of time, the making anew of heaven and earth.

 

Another topic for understanding is, “Predestination”: “To decide upon beforehand.”   In other words, convey a similar idea: to elect, to foreknow.  Perhaps we can understand it as God giving us the free will to make choices, therefore He has set in place a plan (He decided before the Creation of Adam and Eve) that man would have the opportunity to choose Jesus Christ.

 

Predestination: It’s important to adhere to the Bible and its teachings on this subject.  It says this about predestination: God predestined persons out of His love to adoption in Christ before the world was made that those persons might become  holy and blameless, conformed to the image of Christ, that they might be about the task of praising Him for His grace and serving Him out of gratitude.  He did this not based on anything He saw in them, but according to His own will and purposes, unknown to human wisdom, so that a great multitude might be in His eternal Kingdom. (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11). That’s our omniscient God. (Knowing the end from the beginning).

 

We are to understand, God planned this redemption through the preordained work of Christ on Calvary, whom the Father determined to have Crucified from before time began.  Though it was His will for Christ to be so killed, those who killed Him did it of their own free and wicked purposes, not constrained by God, and so are culpable before Him for their crime (Acts 4:28; 2:22-23; Rev. 13:8).  Though we Christians today may not be able to understand how all of that works, we can affirm it as true; we must certainly obey the call of God to the work of ministry. Amen.